The present invention relates to a process and an installation permitting identifying animals and managing the information and occurrences relating to these animals with a view to controlling the traceability of the animals and the information.
This information concerning data relative to the life of the animal such as for example its date and place of birth, its breed, its different owners or holders, its movements, its illnesses or any other information and occurrences such as for example veterinary treatment, data relative to its physical condition, etc. . . .
The desire for traceability, origin and stages of the life of an animal is particularly prominent in recent years particularly as to cattle, these being but one instance of the application of the invention which can also relate to sheep, swine or any other type of animal from the moment at which the animal is provided with an identification means.
Current usage to ensure following the animals is visual identification associated with a paper passport. In certain applications, the data concerning the animal can be stored in national or regional databases. The paper passport must in theory follow all the movements of the animal and carry up to date data concerning it.
The use of a paper support gives rise to considerable problems, particularly because of the need to write manually on the passport the data concerning the animal. On the other hand, in use, the condition of the paper support degrades very rapidly and renders difficult any reading and automatic procedure. Finally, the connection with databases requires recording these data on a computer support such as a minitel for example to communication with the centralized database.
WO99/45761 provides a method and installation to collect information on the livestock and a system of managing this information from its inception to its consumption as to quality of the meat.
This patent is based on the use of identification elements carried by the animal, preferably of the radio frequency type, the use of a mobile reader adapted to different types of radio frequency transponders, adapted to be used along a path the animal is required to follow.
This radio frequency reader has the advantage of being wireless. This patent describes a system in which the data received by the reader can be communicated to dedicated databases, for example that of the breeder, that of the feeder, that of the slaughterer, that of the butcher . . . these data can be communicated to a central database.
In this patent, the reader is associated with a transponder card, each being dedicated to a particular occurrence which will be read by the reader. These data are transmitted to a multiport system which collects information from the reader.
The multiport system, independent from the reader, can, by ports dedicated to a specific type of occurrence, receive supplemental information communicated by the personnel who will use it, for example the cattle raiser.
These data taken from the reader or introduced into the multiport system are communicated to a central computer preferably radio frequency. This central computer can be disposed on an Internet network and communicate with other databases.
This system and the device for practicing it are particularly complicated. They suppose, other than reading the identification, the work of introducing data, either by reading of the dedicated transponder card, or by selection of a dedicated port.
The information is readable on a computer designed as a fixed or movable unit, from which the data will be sent to databanks which can communicate with each other.
This system permits, from the identification by the reader used on the animal"" location, obtaining on the computer independently of the reader, data relative to the animal, which are stored in the computer or in the databank or one of the databanks.
The technology of this patent which appears to be theoretically satisfactory, is not so if used in connection with livestock.
In Europe, cattle amounts of the order of 80 million head, distributed over a million properties, and required to be located in a million cattle ranches or in a thousand slaughterhouses.
Those who work in this sector are divided up as follows:
about a million livestock raisers;
about 20,000 transporters;
about 50,000 veterinarians,
not including public or semi-public agents having the job of operating on livestock, each operation being an occurrence in the history of the animal which must be recorded.
It can be considered that on the European roster, between birth and slaughtering, more than 200 million occurrences are to be recorded in the databanks.
It is clear that the technology of the paper passport is completely unsuitable.
The technology of the patent WO99/45761 is an improvement relative to what preceded it; it is however not perfect, particularly as to the recordation in real time of the data in the databanks and the certification of the latter by the database.
Recourse to a computer intermediate between the reader and the database can be a source of double error or disorder.
As to the relationship between the reader and the computer, recourse to dedicated systems, transponders or ports, can also give rise to problems.
Communication between two intermediate computers is possible only by placing in communication with each other the different databases.
This technology, usable onsite for the reader to recognize the animal, is not suitable for the use of data onsite or for its modification onsite.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,925 describes a portable terminal with a keyboard memory, an information reader and transmission means to a central unit.
The data on one terminal can be transferred into the memory of another terminal through a central unit by placing in communication the latter with the terminals in question.
This patent, designed for mobile medical personnel making housecalls to sick persons, cannot be transposed to technical sectors relating to animals because placing in communication with the central unit is possible only at a fixed position or a near distance from the central unit.
This excludes use onsite for example by placing in direct communication to terminals to constitute a transfer.
The present invention has for its object to overcome these drawbacks by providing a new process and installation for the identification of animals and the management of information relative to said animals to control the traceability of the animals and the information. The installation permits identifying in a sure manner, rapidly or even automatically, the animals, and facilitates acquiring and transferring information relative to these animals between workers and/or toward a centralized database.
The installation for the identification of animals and for managing the information relative to said animals comprising a centralized database collecting information on said animals bearing an identification adapted to be read by a reading system, the centralized database, the identification and the reading system being connected, is characterized in that:
it comprises one or several autonomous communication systems for the user,
said autonomous system integrating
the reading system of the identification,
the communication means with the centralized databank,
a memory integrating information peculiar to the animal and adapted to be duplicated in the centralized databank,
direct communication means between at least one autonomous system and another autonomous system without passing through the centralized databank.